One of the reasons I love writing for children is the research – spending time with potential readers. I love their reactions: pointing to a beautiful illustration to identify colors or objects, or giggling at the humor of a raccoon pretending to be the babysitter.  Children react with excitement to every turn of the page. What will happen next? 

Working with children learning to enjoy words and books brings back memories of learning to communicate in different countries where I’ve lived.  I felt like a toddler some days as I struggled at the grocery store. Some languages, like Korean or German, put the verb at the end of the sentence. [“The jug on the table sat.”] Some languages don’t have an actual word for please – it’s implied in the way the verb is conjugated. One tiny syllable can mean the difference in Hindi between being polite  [phonetically pronouncing “jah-oh”] or rude [“jah”]. I have a distinct memory of a butcher trying not to laugh when I said, "Me want cow."

Recently, a toddler I was playing with tried to tell me how much she liked ice cream. She didn’t care that word order mattered. She pointed her chubby finger at the refrigerator and said, “More please chocolate!”